A Twin Cities man has been sentenced to more than nine years for storming his grandmother's funeral near Duluth and shooting his sister's boyfriend in the back of the head.

Shelby G. Boswell, 29, of Hugo was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court after pleading guilty in September 2020 to being a felon in possession of a gun and firing a gun in a school zone. The shooting took place at the Fond du Lac Head Start near Fond du Lac Ojibwe High School.

The victim survived.

According to state and federal court documents:

On Oct. 18, 2019, Boswell ran into the funeral service west of Cloquet with a rifle and shot the seated boyfriend. Funeral attendees prevented Boswell from squeezing off another round and disarmed him. Police arrested him in the parking lot.

Boswell later said he shot the man to protect his sister.

Paul Walsh